By Emma Ogbuehi
Even with their murderous activities in various parts of the North West, fiery Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has defended the bandits, claiming rather that they are the ones at the receiving end of the federal government, media and military conspiracy. Gumi insisted that the bandits or herdsmen have genuine cause which the government has refused to address. The cleric made the disclosures in an appearance at Arise
Television current affairs programme on Wednesday. He described the spiraling insecurity in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger and other parts of the North West as tribal war arguing that to get to the roots, the Government should be neutral and find out their grievances of the bandits. According to Gumi, herdsmen are victims of injustice in many parts of the country. He called on well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and arrest the situation.
Gumi who said he was not speaking for the bandits and those committing atrocities against them, called for dialogue for peace to reign in the region.
He dismissed earlier amnesty granted the bandits by Katsina and the FG, as cosmetic, alleging that the government reneged on the agreement on their rehabilitation and providing them with social infrastructure.
As a way out, he suggested the Niger Delta model in rehabilitating the bandits, insisting that the herdsmen are in control of vast majority of lands in the affected areas and should be given the encouragement to safe guard the forests. “These people are not angels. They are Nigerians. We know them. We know their relations. I don’t know what is holding the government from sitting down with them and finding peace.
“The entire thing is an ethnic war. But when the military takes side, it becomes another thing. The military has been hard on the herdsmen, burning their settlement and displacing them. They are Nigerians and need to be protected”, Gumi insisted.
He recommended integrating the good ones among the bandits into the joint civilian task force and using them against the bad ones. He accused the media, military and government of complicity in the war against the bandits.
According to him, government does not want to recognize that there are agitations, stressing that the herdsmen ready for negotiation.
Gumi warned that the bandits are becoming religiously radicalised stressing that that portends danger for the country, if not quickly arrested.